Legal R&D Specialist

Nestlé SA; Singapore; Hybrid; SGD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food and beverage company in Singapore seeks a Legal R&D Specialist to manage contractual and compliance matters across R&D centers in multiple countries. Candidates need a law degree and at least 2 years of legal experience. Fluency in Chinese and English is required, alongside strong strategic thinking and interpersonal skills. The role involves contract negotiation, legal training, and regular travel to India, China, and Switzerland. Competitive salary and permanent contract offered.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in a legal, compliance, or contract management role.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to India, China, and Switzerland.
• Sound understanding of IP rights.

Responsibilities

• Manage requests for external R&D contracts in compliance with guidelines.
• Serve as the legal point of contact for contract owners and leaders.
• Lead negotiations of external contracts.
• Deliver R&D legal training to R&D units.
• Track progress of contract negotiations and archival.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Excellent interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Autonomous self-starter

Fluency in Chinese

Fluency in English

Education

Law degree

Job description

Location: Singapore with regular travels to India, China, and Switzerland

Type of contract: Permanent contract

Position Summary

Joining Nestlé means you are joining the largest Food and Beverage Company in the world. At our very core, we are a human environment – passionate people driven by the purpose of enhancing the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. A Nestlé career empowers you to make an impact locally and globally, as you are provided with the opportunity to make a mark and stand out, as long as you seek it. With Nestlé, you are enabled and encouraged to grow not only as professionals, but also as people.

As a Legal R&D Specialist based in Singapore and part of a global Legal R&D team, you will be the first point of contact for all contractual, legal, and compliance matters for Nestlé R&D centers in Singapore, India, and China. You will handle a variety of contracts, including consultancy, collaboration, confidentiality, material transfer, and service agreements, ensuring adherence to Nestlé's guidelines. Collaborating with senior Legal R&D team members, you will leverage legal expertise to build deal strategies, identify and mitigate risks, and implement R&D compliance programs. You will lead contract negotiations, deliver legal training, and ensure proper drafting and negotiation of contracts.

A Day in the Life of a Legal R&D Specialist

• Manage requests for external R&D contracts such as consultancy agreements, collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements and service agreements, in compliance with internal guidelines and processes regarding management of R&D contracts.
• Serve as the legal point of contact for contract owners and Group/Department Leaders, ensuring smooth collaboration among stakeholders and leveraging legal expertise as needed. This includes involving the relevant internal stakeholders from other functions (e.g. Patent Counsel, procurement, market legal teams), helping build the deal strategy as well as emphasizing any risks involved in accepting certain conditions together with potential mitigation measures.
• Implement elements of the R&D compliance program for Nestlé's R&D units.
• Lead negotiations when necessary to ensure external contracts align with the IP protection plan for the applicable project and comply with Nestlé processes.
• Deliver R&D legal training to R&D units according to the agreed training plan.
• Track progress of contract negotiations, signatures and appropriate archival. Supervise the submission of contract data in the appropriate databases.

What will make you successful

• Law degree
• At least 2 years of experience in a legal, compliance or contract management role
• Strategic thinker and proactive legal specialist
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to India, China and Switzerland
• Autonomous, self-starter with ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Fluency in Chinese and English is a must, any other language would be an advantage
• Sound understanding of IP rights
• Structured, organised, and systematic
• A good understanding of the R&D environment and the types of contracts commonly used within an R&D organization would be an advantage.